Page 14 of Forever In Willow Creek

Later that evening, the storm eased, and Zoe found herself walking through town. The roads were slick, the lights glistening on the pavement. She didn’t have an umbrella. She didn’t care.

She ended up at the garage.

The lights were off inside, but the office was still open. She found Luke sitting behind the desk, staring at nothing in particular. A box of tools sat at his feet, untouched.

“I didn’t think you’d come,” he said without looking at her.

“I wasn’t sure I would,” she replied honestly.

He finally met her eyes. “Well?”

“I got the offer. Senior Partner. All of it.”

Luke nodded. “Are you going to take it?”

She stepped closer. “No.”

That one word landed like thunder in the room.

“No?”

Zoe shook her head, voice stronger now. “I spent so long climbing that ladder I didn’t stop to ask if I even leaned it against the right wall. I thought success would fill the empty places. But it just made them quieter.”

Luke stood, his breath catching.

“And now?” he asked.

“Now I want something different. Slower. Truer.” She smiled softly. “I want to choose my life, not just react to it. And I want you in it.”

He crossed the space between them in two strides, pulling her into a hug so fierce, so relieved, that she felt something inside her finally unlocked.

“You sure about this?” he murmured into her hair.

“I’m still figuring it out,” she whispered. “But I’ve never been surer of anything.”

Luke leaned back just enough to look at her, his fingers trembling slightly as he brushed the rain-soaked strands from Zoe’s cheek. The storm outside had raged for hours, but now, in the dim light of her cottage, the world felt still—like it was holding its breath. His voice was soft, almost lost in the drone of the fading rain.“I missed you.”

Zoe’s lips curved into a smile, her eyes glistening with something deeper than the tears she’d wiped away earlier. She leaned into his touch, her hand resting on his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.“Then don’t let me go,”she whispered, her voice barely audible but carrying the weight of everything unsaid between them.

He kissed her then—not the kind of kiss that demanded or devoured, but one that whispered of longing and promise. His lips were gentle against hers, his hands cradling her face as though she were something fragile, something he couldn’t bear to lose again. The world outside didn’t matter. The rain, the wind, the chaos—it all faded into the background.

Zoe’s fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer. She kissed him back with a quiet intensity, her breath mingling with his as their bodies pressed together. The warmth of him seeped into her, chasing away the chill that had clung to her skin for weeks. His hands slid down her arms, leaving trails of fire in their wake, before settling on her waist. He held herlike she was his anchor, like she was the only thing keeping him grounded.

When they finally pulled apart, neither of them spoke. The silence between them was thick, charged with emotion and the unspoken words that lingered in the air. Luke rested his forehead against hers, his breath shaky as he inhaled the scent of her—vanilla and rain and something uniquely Zoe.

“I can’t believe you’re really here,”she murmured, her voice trembling. Her hands moved to his neck, fingers brushing against the soft hair at the nape of his neck.

Luke’s eyes closed briefly, savoring the feel of her touch.“I couldn’t stay away,”he admitted, his voice rough with emotion. His hands tightened on her waist, pulling her even closer until there was no space left between them.“I tried, Zoe. I tried to stay away, but… I can’t. Not when it comes to you.”

Her heart ached at his words, the raw honesty in them making her chest tighten. She knew what it cost him to say that, to admit how much he needed her. It wasn’t easy for him—Luke had always been the one who kept his emotions locked away, who built walls around himself so high she’d thought she’d never reach him. But now, in the quiet of her apartment, those walls had crumbled, and she could see the vulnerability in his eyes.

Zoe pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth, her lips lingering there for a moment before she whispered,“Stay with me.”

His breath hitched, his hands sliding up her back to tangle in her damp hair.“Always,”he promised, his voice low and rough. He kissed her again, this time with a little more urgency, a little more heat. His tongue brushed against her lower lip, and she opened for him with a soft sigh, her fingers tightening in his hair.

The kiss deepened, slow and sensual, each movement of their lips and tongues speaking of a connection that went beyond the physical. Luke’s hands roamed her body, tracing the curve of her spine, the dip of her waist, the swell of her hips. Every touch was deliberate, every caress meant to remind her that she was his, that he was hers.

Zoe’s hands moved to the buttons of his shirt, her fingers trembling slightly as she worked them open. His chest was warm beneath her palms, the hard planes of muscle shifting as he breathed. She leaned in, pressing her lips to the center of his chest, right over his heart. She could feel it beating—steady and strong, just like him.

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